Tag Archives: artefacts

In our latest post, Michael Noble from the University of Nottingham’s Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) funded Hidden Histories Engagement Centre discusses taking WW1 history to the public.

One of the joys of working for an Engagement Centre comes from the opportunity to meet and work with interested and committed people around the country. Over the course of the centenary, I have worked, talked and collaborated with hundreds of people, of all ages, who have a keen interest in the First World War and who have used their knowledge and enthusiasm to make the commemorations a success.

But what about those people who have little or no interest in the war? Those whose knowledge extends simply to the popular images of the conflict, the trenches, the truce, the Somme, the poppy. We would be neglectful as an Engagement Centre if we didn’t make efforts to reach these people, the ones that don’t necessarily meet us half-way.

A number of sessions at the recent Connected Communities Festival in Cardiff reflected on the nature of community at this time of commemoration and during the First World War.

Three academic experts from Welsh universities were on hand in a special ‘Antiques Roadshow’-style event to look at First World War memorabilia brought in by members of the public. Some 40,000 Welshmen died during the War and its impact reached into every aspect of Welsh life. Its legacy lives on in countless ways and not least in the memories, objects and artefacts handed down through the generations and still treasured today. You can find out more about the roadshow in the video below, or read about the experiences of members of the public who attended on the BBC News website.